


Fathers and Sons

by Tarlan



Series: Marks of Daggoth [2]
Category: Darklight (2004)
Genre: Gen, Redemption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-01-02
Updated: 2006-01-02
Packaged: 2017-10-15 07:33:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/158522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shaw wonders why Lilith did not slay the demonicos - Anders</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fathers and Sons

Shaw watched as one of the brothers added new names to the wall of remembrance except, this time the names were not those of The Faith who had died at Lilith's hand. This was a new wall set opposite and held relatively few names, honoring those who had lost their lives to Chapel's betrayal. Although Anders Raeborne had killed two of the brethren, Chapel had been responsible for all the deaths, paying with his treachery with his life.

Shaw turned slowly, his eyes alighting upon a single name among many on the wall commemorating those slain by Lilith. His fingers reached out to stroke the letters: Connor Shaw. His son. Although he could not condone Chapel's actions, he understood the grief and rage that had driven a man who had lost loved ones and seen no justice. Until recently, his heart had been filled with that same rage, and only his respect for Prefect Marcus, and his faith, had stayed his hand when the opportunity to kill the demon responsible for Connor's death presented itself to him three years earlier.

Knowing she lived, breathing the same clean air as he, and without shackles, was almost too much to bear at times, especially when his wife left him. She needed to move on but he couldn't. He could not forget his beautiful son and that last day when they had played together in the woods. He could not forget the torn flesh and the lifeless eyes staring back at him from a terrified face; could not forget the terrible cry spilling from his lips that sent birds into flight and an unnatural silence in the woods as if every living creature held its breath.

Asking him to tutor Lilith in the art of defense had been a body blow and he had needed to dig deep into his reserves of faith just to look upon her beautiful face and not stab a dagger made of Talos between her eyes.

Now, only a day after the rooftop fight with Chapel, where he had wrestled the antidote from Chapel's hand and seen the traitor fall to his death, Shaw felt confused. When had his hatred started to abate? When had he looked Lilith in the face and felt something other than an overwhelming desire to see her sent straight back to Hell, where she belonged.

He could narrow it down to a time after Anders, in the form of the demonicos, had taken a hold of him, projecting his thoughts into Shaw's mind, speaking through him. Anders had seen the hatred then; he had seen the desire to tear Lilith limb from limb for the pain she had caused him.

The ice in his heart had started to thaw later, in Anders' lair after the demonicos bit him, sending the red plague direct into his blood stream. She had made to run after Chapel, wanting to make him reveal the location of the antidote... for HIM. She had put his life before the rest of the planet, willing to allow Anders to escape because she was unwilling to sacrifice his life. She bowed to his wishes to go after Anders, even though he could see it broke her heart to do so; a heart he did not believe she had until that moment.

William Shaw walked away from the memorial room, heading back along the softly lit corridor towards the main medical center. He found Lilith standing before the two-way mirror that looked in upon the room where Anders Raeborne lay restrained while his human body healed. The Talos prevented the darklight from working swiftly upon his wounds but he would heal physically. Mentally? Shaw was uncertain how long it would take to heal the damaged psyche. Perhaps The Faith would consider the same process they used on Lilith, taking away his memories of rage, bitterness, and betrayal, giving him the time to heal away from all the factors that contributed to his fall from grace.

Standing beside Lilith, Shaw looked through the glass to where Anders lay sleeping. With his hair all mussed and his features softened in sleep, anyone would be hard pressed to believe that Anders was a demonicos in human form. He looked so normal, with his fingers curled lightly like a child, and the signs of soft living adding just a little extra fat to his otherwise, lean form.

"Why did you let him live?"

Lilith flicked a glance sideways at him before turning her attention back to the man who was one of her kind now, perhaps the only other one of her kind currently in existence. Shaw turned to face her, his eyes tracing her strong profile, recalling it being just as beautiful in demon form. She flicked another glance towards him, chewing her lower lip and he wondered if she would answer.

"He's... someone's son," she replied softly.

Shaw nodded, feeling the burn of tears in his eyes, instinctively knowing that her compassion for Anders Raeborne had stemmed from her desire to one day find forgiveness for the death of his son, Connor.

As Shaw turned back to stare at the sleeping Anders Raeborne, he felt another shard of ice in his heart begin to melt.

END


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